Lawn & Landscape Magazine wants to get a feel for the future of the green industry, and we need your help. We've developed a 16 question survey to find out how the next generation of green industry employees perceives a career in the industry.

Students – please take a few moments and fill out this survey. Two respondents will be chosen at random to win one of two $25 Chipotle gift cards.

Professors – can you please distribute this survey to your students? In addition, if you have a student or two who you think has a bright future in the industry, please send me their contact info and a couple of paragraphs on why you chose them. We plan to feature individual students as part of our coverage.

We will share the results in a future issue of Lawn & Landscape Magazine. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Brian Horn

Managing Editor

Lawn & Landscape Magazine

]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 04:00:00 GMTGrunder hires new office managerhttp://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=183368
http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=183368Amber Fox was previously with the company and will be the office & human resources manager.

MIAMISBURG, Ohio -- Grunder Landscaping has hired Amber Fox to assume the position of office & human resources manager. She previously served our company as an administrative assistant from 2002 to 2011. Amber then began to pursue an interest in Human Resources and thus took a position managing payroll and benefits administration for a 250-person firm.

In addition to Amber’s work experience, she acquired a certificate in Business Management from Antioch University-Midwest and an associate degree in Business Information Systems from Sinclair Community College.

Amber will manage all office operations, human resources and is committed to providing effective communication to our clients, vendors and team members. When asked about her return to Grunder, Amber said, "I am very excited to be back at GLC where I have the opportunity provide exceptional service to our team and clients.”

Sustaining a business through good times and bad is part of the lifecycle of a generations-old operation, and at Toms Creek Nursery & Landscaping in Farmer, N.C., a tradition of staying the course has resulted in a rich, evolving legacy.

Ovie Henson started Toms Creek during the Great Depression, and current owner Brandon Vaughn, her great-grandson, has learned how to run a lean, quality-focused business because he’s “a product of the recession.” Like many design/build outfits in this region, strip malls and ongoing development in the 1990s reeled in what seemed as endless business. Toms Creek was installing large entrance landscapes to neighborhoods and model homes, using its own nursery stock grown on the 450 acres of farm land the family has owned for nearly a century.

“Then, it was like a spigot turned off,” Vaughn says. “The work was gone and literally all we did through the recession was fix jobs that other people messed up. Repair is what kept us going.”

Toms Creek has always aimed to be the landscaping design/build firm people call when they want the best in the area, Vaughn says. That focus on quality made a difference during tough times. “During the 1990s boom, it wasn’t, ‘Can you get here and do a good job?’ but ‘Can you get here?’” Vaughn says of the mass-production mentality.

As a result, many residential properties had landscaping problems, Vaughn says. And even in a recession, clients would reach out to Toms Creek to fix an issue that was the product of a previous sub-par contractor. “We were repairing shoddy irrigation systems and doing other repairs on properties for three years,” Vaughn says.

That way of running the business was a big departure from the $2.3 million in revenues from landscape design, installation, maintenance and the nursery the company had realized in 2008. Almost instantly in 2009, Toms Creek was down to $500,000 in revenues. But some things did not change. The owners held on to their people and the nursery in spite of a severe decrease in sales. “When no one was building houses, no one was buying plants,” Vaughn says.

“But we are quite committed to the nursery because, for one, it’s a lifestyle choice. It’s where we live and the people who work there have been employees for the long-term,” he adds.

Secondly, Toms Creek Landscaping is the largest customer of the nursery, and plant installation jobs can be quite profitable. Now with a diverse service mix, Toms Nursery has quadrupled revenues in the last five years and is on pace to match where it was before the economic fallout. Half of the business is design/build, while the remaining half is divided between mostly residential maintenance and the nursery.

“The biggest key to our success is that we have always done everything we can to meet or beat expectations,” Vaughn says, adding that some residents have hired Toms Creek to do the landscaping for several of their homes over the years. As they move on, they bring their favorite design/installation firm with them. “That makes you feel good.”

Diversifying the business.

Vaughn remembers the story. His grandparents were really distressed about adding a landscaping division to their family nursery. As horticulturists with college degrees, they felt that landscaping was a step down, in a sense. (This was, of course, before the industry’s reputation had elevated to today’s level, Vaughn says.)

He jokes, “They said landscapers were nothing but drunks and thieves.” They had no intention of moving into installation, but they did in 1976 and grossed $57,000 that year, which was thought to be a nice chunk of change. “Now, we need to do more than that in a month,” Vaughn says.

Vaughn’s mother, Melinda, earned a horticultural landscape design degree from North Carolina State University and took the business to new levels. She and her husband, Steve Vaughn, developed a team and soon traveled throughout the Carolinas and to Virginia to complete jobs.\When Brandon Vaughn and his twin brother Aaron entered the business as teenagers, they found a niche in maintenance. “We started mowing after school and on weekends,” says Vaughn, an NC State alum like his mother, with a degree in agricultural business management. Aaron pursued a career in industrial engineering and contributes to the family business today by helping with systems, including creating an inventory software program.

During the recession, maintenance helped sustain the core business: the nursery and installation. And, it also afforded Toms Creek the ability – though it was not easy – to retain its people. And that was important, Vaughn says.

“We have a very dedicated crew, and we are not like others who hire a lot of seasonal help,” he says. “We have always been really committed to them. And while it might not have been the best financial decision [to keep everyone on board], we have had the same group of guys in the nursery for 25 years, and most of the landscape crewmembers are at least 10-year veterans.”

If a worker left, he or she was not replaced. But otherwise, Toms Creek kept its payroll going strong during the leanest time from 2008 to 2010. Meanwhile, the installation business focused on installing plantings from nursery stock grown on the family-owned land.

Also, the company maintained a modest debt load and continues to operate this way. “You don’t know when [business] could turn off again like it did,” Vaughn says. “No one here saw that coming.”

The installation repair jobs kept some revenue flowing, and then as the economy began to loosen up in the past couple of years, larger residential jobs started coming in. People who have known Toms Creek all along began calling for the projects that were, perhaps, put on hold. Today, the company’s design/installation business includes high-end residential projects with budgets in the $100,000 neighborhood.

And, the modest maintenance department helps take care of properties and serves as a “business card on the street,” Vaughn says. Toms Creek is out in front of people in the community because of its ongoing work on properties.

Plus, maintaining properties that Toms Creek installs allows the company to monitor the quality of the landscape—and, in turn, protect the firm’s reputation as a premiere provider in the area, Vaughn says. “We had a project where we installed a 23-foot tall crepe myrtle in a back yard, and the next spring another maintenance company trimmed it down to 6 feet tall with their chainsaws and just ruined it,” Vaughn says.

“Maintenance makes us look better as an installation company because we take care of the properties we do,” he says.

The nursery is not growing, but it is steadfast, and Toms Creek grows all of its basic plant stock on the land. Farming plants is part of Toms Creek culture and, as Vaughn says, a lifestyle that the family chooses. Meanwhile, his mother is still involved in the business as a landscape designer and the legacy is thriving. “I’m looking forward to being back to what I consider ‘normal’ and we continue to get more professional as an industry, and as a company,” Vaughn says. “The future looks promising.”

“On behalf of PLANET AEF, I want to thank our newest Ambassadors for their generous support of the next generation of industry leaders and for helping us to reach further milestones,” said PLANET AEF President Tom Fochtman, Landscape Industry Certified. “We recognize that this scholarship program, which has funded 864 scholarships, has significantly impacted professionals coming into the landscape industry.”

PLANET AEF is more than halfway through its five-year campaign, developed by the PLANET AEF Board of Directors, to raise the fund balance from $2 million to $5 million. To date, the fund has grown to $4.1 million.

PLANET AEF is actively seeking partners and contributors. The Foundation is supported by tax-deductible donations from individuals, companies, and state associations.

Visit the website, www.planetaef.org, for more information, or call the PLANET office at 800-395-2522.

]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 04:00:00 GMTNew routing apps to aid trackinghttp://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=183348
http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=183348Real Green Systems has added two new products to its software lineup.WALLED LAKE, Mich. – Real Green Systems has announced the addition of two new products to its software lineup. Routing Assistant – powered by ALK Maps and Fleet Assistant – a versatile and comprehensive answer to vehicle tracking.

Routing Assistant replaces Mapping Assistant, which used the now defunct MapPoint as its routing engine. Routing Assistant utilizes ALK Maps, powered by PC MILER. ALK Maps is used by many companies and organizations that rely on fast, fluid, precise functionality for establishing and managing their routes – among them, UPS and The United States Department of Defense.

There is no more software to purchase or install for each workstation. Street data is updated continuously and automatically - included free with your subscription.

Fleet Assistant is Real Green Systems first stand-alone application since Service Assistant. In addition to showing where vehicles are, the system allows users to view completed stops, which stops remain and if any unscheduled travel was made along the way and for how long.

Users will have a view of all their vehicles on a single page, including summaries of miles traveled per day, start and end fuel levels, average miles per gallon, maximum speeds and more. Functionality includes scheduled maintenance alerts and tracking by road map, satellite map and weather map – particularly useful when deciding whether to call fleets in or keep them out on the road.

Visit RealGreen.com to find out more about these amazing new products from Real Green Systems.

]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 04:00:00 GMTThe grass is greenerhttp://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=182603
http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=182603A healthier housing market is good news for the lawn and landscape industry.While some would say the U.S. economy is due for a recession this year, Charlie Hall says the economic indicators point in a different direction. The Texas A&M University Ellison Chair holder and economist says, “There’s nothing holding us back from having a great 2015. We’re going into this spring season better off than we have or have been.”

In his Economic Outlook for the Green Industry in 2015 presentation, Hall notes low gas prices, a rise in the housing market and an increase in personal consumption as good signs. “We’re not knocking any homeruns out of the ballpark, but we’re consistently getting singles and doubles, so that’s roughly good news,” he says.

The indicators.

Even though last year started out with a negative GDP, 2014 averaged out to be the best year since recovery from the Great Recession began.

And while there is still a 1.9 percent gap between the U.S. potential and the actual GDP, it’s shrinking. That’s based in large part on the personal spending of consumers. In the fourth quarter, those expenditures were 65 percent of the GDP.

Gross private domestic investment, such as new inventory or equipment, has been on an upswing since the recovery began, which is a good sign of growing business prospects.

When it comes to income, more and more people are joining or rejoining the workforce regardless of how long they’ve been out of work, dropping the unemployment rate to 5.7 percent. However, Hall warns, a lot of people who quit looking for work are going to re-enter the workforce now that conditions are improving, which will skew the unemployment numbers.

With more employed Americans and a drop in gasoline prices, consumer confidence is definitely on the rise. “Gas prices make people feel better or worse, depending how high or low they are,” Hall says. And with the Energy Information Administration predicting an average gas price of $2.33 in 2015, “we’re sitting pretty good in terms of confidence,” Hall says.

In fact, Americans are spending more today than they did prior to the recession. And beyond the increased consumer confidence, which means more spending, low gas prices should be huge savings for contractors in terms of fuel and supply costs.

The housing market.

The housing market is generally increasing, but we still haven’t returned to pre-recession start numbers. That could all change this year as excess housing stock is taken off the market.

“We had overbuilt the housing market so much, and the housing bubble, that we had that much supply of excess housing and that has been whittled away and so now we have less than three months of excess supply,” Hall says.

As U.S. household net worth increases, along with consumer confidence, people are feeling more comfortable making large purchases or investing in homes.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that rate of increase in our net worth, so that’s good news, but we still owe a lot of money,” Hall says, citing the $1.2 trillion of student debt in the country.

Experts expect single-family starts to be roughly on par with 2014, with multi-family housing on the rise due to younger generations opting to rent for a longer time than their parents.

That actually bodes well for the coming years, and starts are expected to reach 1.5 million in 2018.

For existing homes, investments in remodeling, including landscaping, are expected to make a 7 percent increase this year, Hall cites from Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity.

However, that number will vary depending on location.

The industry.

Overall, the green industry is doing better than it was, but it’s still “a bit overleveraged,” Hall says.

The lawn and landscape sector in particular has seen a lot of mergers and acquisitions in recent years with smaller regional players trying to compete with national players. “There are still some companies out there that need to have a good spring,” Hall says.

The good news is that banks are starting to loosen up credit, particularly in the housing sector, and low fuel prices will mean lower distribution costs. That, along with increased consumer confidence and lower unemployment rates, puts the industry in the shape it’s been in years.

“There are a lot of forces at play but we’re poised,” Hall says. “There’s nothing that’s going to rear its ugly head that’s going to cause us to really shrink back and see our economy suffer.”

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- In its continuing effort to make its downtown more welcoming, and to support its sustainability initiatives, Grand Rapids is completing the replacement of 750 old iron tree grates with Porous Pave XL. Porous Pave is a highly porous, durable and flexible pour-in-place surfacing material that is a proven solution for green stormwater infrastructure. An eco-friendly green building product, it consists of recycled rubber, stone aggregate and a binder.

The first phase of the project was completed in September 2014 before the annual ArtPrize event. The city had Porous Pave tree surrounds installed to replace 250 cracked and broken grates that presented the most serious tripping hazard in the three square miles of downtown. An additional 500 grates will be replaced by July 2015.

"Porous Pave allows rainwater and air to get down to the tree roots," said Mark DeClercq, P.E., city engineer. "With its high rubber content and textured surface, Porous Pave is slip resistant and safer when wet than traditional metal tree grates."

"Porous Pave is ADA-compliant," said Dave Ouwinga, president and chief executive officer, Porous Pave. "In addition to making Porous Pave surfaces slip-resistant, the recycled rubber gives it flexibility, so it withstands freeze-thaw cycles without heaving, cracking or breaking."

Made in the U.S.A., Porous Pave XL is a hard, durable material made from 50 percent recycled rubber chips and 50 percent stone aggregate with a moisture-cured urethane binding agent. Porous Pave infiltrates stormwater on site, decreases the volume and slows the velocity of runoff flowing into storm drains and storm sewers, improves water quality by reducing erosion and filtering out pollutants, and recharges groundwater. Porous Pave is engineered with 29 percent void space. Independent testing confirms that Porous Pave allows up to 6,300 gallons of water per hour per square foot to drain directly through its surface, permeate down into a compacted aggregate base, and then slowly filter into the ground

Porous Pave is poured in place at thicknesses of one to two inches atop a compacted aggregate base of two, four or six inches, depending on the application and required compressive strength. Contractors use it in public, commercial and residential installations for loading docks, parking lots, driveways, building entryways and courtyards, walkways and sidewalks and patios and terraces. The material's porosity, permeability and slip resistance make it ideal for tree surrounds.

Porous Pave XLS, a softer formulation, is made from 100 percent recycled rubber chips and a more flexible urethane binding agent. Landscape architects specify it to provide a more impact-absorbing surface in applications such as playgrounds and pool surrounds.

]]>Mon, 30 Mar 2015 04:00:00 GMTYard-Nique acquires Esteshttp://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=183316
http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=183316The move marks the company’s third acquisition in five years.Yard-Nique recently acquired Estes Landscape in Sharpsburg Ga., and will mark the company’s third acquisition in five years. Estes posted $3.5 million in revenue in 2014 and employs 35 people.

“Rob Estes built an amazing company around his talented team,” said Brian DuMont, owner of the Morrisville, N.C.-based Yard-Nique. “Atlanta was not on our radar at the time it was brought to our attention but after meeting Rob Estes and his team we were eager to pursue.”

Dumont said he will keep the Estes name for now, and eventually roll the company into Yard-Nique’s operations. DuMont said that acquisitions will continue to play an intricate part of Yard-Nique’s growth plans.

“Acquisitions along with internal growth are vital to continued growth,” he said. “Every situation is different and we believe both are needed in order to be diversified.”

]]>Mon, 30 Mar 2015 04:00:00 GMTImmigration and the green industryhttp://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=183317
http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=183317Craig Regelbrugge shares his predictions for immigration reform and how it will affect the green industry.

The time for action is yesterday, according to Craig Regelbrugge, AmericanHort senior vice president, industry advocacy and research.

Outlining the current political climate during his webinar, “Everything you need to know about immigration 2015,” he noted that every sitting president since Eisenhower has used executive authority to provide temporary immigration relief to various groups. Regelbrugge reminded attendees of a November announcement from President Barack Obama saying that he will also do what he can for immigration.

There are currently between 1.1 and 1.5 million experienced but unauthorized agricultural workers in the U.S. right now. “And the legal program as it is struggles to admit 100,000 of them,” said

Deferred Action for Parents Program is in precarious position.

While DAPA is not aimed at employers, it could affect your business. Parents of a U.S. citizen or legal resident, who have been in the country for more than five years, can undergo a background check and receive a three-year relief from deportation and general work authorization.

However, a Texas judge has issued an injunction against the act and the policy could be overturned by a new president.

Since individuals must prove that they have been in the United States for five years or longer, they may need employment verification. To keep yourself out of trouble, Regelbrugge recommends putting together a policy stating that employees have a right to their employment information, no questions asked.

“The moment they tell you, you have the knowledge that they are unauthorized to work in the U.S. and it becomes a serious crime to employ someone not authorized to work in the United States,” Regelbrugge said.

There are also concerns about the number of workers who come forward as it could draw seasonal workers away from the landscaping industry and into other, more permanent employment.

H-2B starts up again.

The H-2B program is sister to the H-2A program for temporary and seasonal agricultural workers, which is a “very expensive and bureaucratic program,” Regelbrugge said. But H-2B is “in regulatory and legal chaos,” according to Regelbrugge. “The labor department has been trying to import into H-2B all the things that make H-2A unworkable.”

If Congress acts on immigration, Regelbrugge predicts that the House will have to do the heavy lifting this time around. “The risk for us is that there’s a real zeal – almost a blood lust – for enforcement in this Congress,” he said. “Many are arguing that they need to make the law of the land before we talk about employment needs.”

The challenge, Regelbrugge said, is to make sure that enforcement and reform move together to help prevent a shrinking employment pool.

“We won’t get a second chance if we accept a bad deal,” he said. “The job of reaching out and helping people in Congress understand is yours.”

Regelbrugge said the green industry’s best hope is to get a critical mass of Republicans to decide that the best action is to legislate, and do it wisely. The other half of the puzzle is to get Democrats to decide that finding solutions is better than riding this to the ballot box and using immigration as a wedge issue with Hispanic and other voters.

“We need to be making noise, and I know this is a challenge for our industry,” Regelbrugge said. “We know it’s go time and as spring unfolds … folks get really, really busy and it’s so hard to make the time but if members of Congress aren’t hearing from you there’s no pressure. And if there’s no pressure, there’s no action.”

What can you do?

Here’s what PLANET, the national lawn and landscape association, recommends:

Call your senators and members of Congress and ask them to work with the DHS to ensure that the upcoming DHS-DOL interim final rule will not be used as an opportunity to impose burdensome new requirements on seasonal employers. You can reach your senators and representative through the congressional switchboard at 202-225-3121. Once connected to his or her office, ask to speak to the person who handles the H-2B program. If you senator or representative sent a letter to the DOL and DHS to encourage the resumption of processing, please don’t forget to say thank you and encourage him or her to keep up the fight.

Ask your representative to co-sponsor H-2B legislation being drafted by Rep. Harris that will provide reforms to the program and end the constant litigation and uncertainty associated with the program.

Set up a meeting locally with your senators and representative during the next two weeks when Congress is on recess. When possible, coordinate with other H-2B employers in your area.

Come to Washington, D.C., April15 and participate in H-2B Advocacy Day. Meet with your elected officials and explain the importance of a functional and predictable H-2B program to your business. The H-2B Workforce Coalition and H-2B Providers’ Coalition are hosting this event. It will begin with a briefing for Fly-in Participants from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. at a Congressional House Office Building on Capitol Hill – room to be announced later. Hear from congressional staff and industry experts about the key points to make with your Senators and Representatives.Receive talking points and other helpful materials. From 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. attend appointments with House and Senate Offices that you made prior to the event.

Continue the dialogue on Twitter using the #saveH2B. Continue to direct your tweets to your senators, representatives and the DOL and DHS. Some suggested tweets are:

1.Thanks to Congress for encouraging DOL and DHS to resume H-2B processing.Please continue the fight to #saveH2B.

2.Congress keep the H-2B program operational.An interim final rule must not impose more burdens on seasonal employers.#saveH2B

3. Support legislation to reform the H-2B program and #saveH2B.

Tell your own story by tweeting pictures of your H-2B workers, your business or unused equipment if you do not have your needed H-2B workers yet.

]]>Mon, 30 Mar 2015 04:00:00 GMTDan Ariens receives 2015 awardhttp://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=183241
http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/Article.aspx?article_id=183241WTEA and ITEEA presented him with the National STEM Education Partner of the Year Award.BRILLION, Wis. – Ariens Company Chairman and CEO, Dan Ariens, received the 2015 National STEM Education Partner of the Year Award from the Wisconsin Technology and Engineering Education Association (WTEA) and the International Technology and Engineering Education Association (ITEEA). The award was presented during the ITEEA annual convention held in Milwaukee, Wis.

“I’m especially proud of this award because it is about partnership,” says Ariens. “My advocacy for STEM education is a direct result of the enthusiasm generated at Brillion High School by Technology Education Teacher Steve Meyer and his students.”

The award recognizes “exceptional commitment to education and the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education,” according to WTEA.

“For my part, I will continue to be an advocate within the business community for these kinds of partnerships and the very real, viable, and lasting benefits they provide,” says Ariens.